OPINION: THE TOP THREE MOST IMPORTANT MATCHES IN WWE HISTORY

The Fox Network posted a question on Instagram according to Cageside Seats asking WWE fans: What is the most important match in WWE history? As a WWE fan for three decades, this made me think about what the most important matches in WWE history are and here are my top 3:

3. HULK HOGAN VS. ANDRE THE GIANT-WRESTLEMANIA III

The date was March 29th, 1987 and Hulk Hogan and Andre The Giant were the two biggest stars in the wrestling industry at that time. WWE marketed Andre as being undefeated for 15 years and Hogan had been WWE Champion for three years. Over 90,000 fans came to the Pontiac Silverdome in Detroit to see if Hogan could defeat Andre who had never been a World champion. With Andre's defeat at Wrestlemania III, Hogan sealed his legacy as the biggest attraction in wrestling. 

2. HULK HOGAN AND MR. T VS. ROWDY RODDY PIPER AND PAUL ORNDORFF-WRESTLEMANIA I 

The date was March 31st, 1985 and all of New York was in a frenzy for the first Wrestlemania. At Madison Square Garden that evening, history would be made as "Rowdy" Roddy Piper teamed with Paul "Mr. Wonderful" Orndorff and Hogan teamed with Mr. T who was the star of the A-Team TV show. Piper and Orndorff lost the match to Hulk Hogan and Mr. T. With the cross promotion of MTV and WWE, pro wrestling was approaching a new level of popularity. With the success of Hulk Hogan and Wrestlemania, Vince McMahon could continue the national expansion of WWE across the United States. 

And now my pick for THE most important match in WWE history is...

1. ROWDY RODDY PIPER VS. HULK HOGAN-THE WAR TO SETTLE THE SCORE ON MTV

After leaving the N.W.A.(National Wrestling Alliance) in 1983, Roddy Piper moved onto WWE in 1984. Piper began his feud with Hulk Hogan after Piper attacked Cyndi Lauper during a special presentation to Capt. Lou Albano. On Feburary 18th, 1985, Hulk Hogan and Piper met in the ring for the WWE Championship with Cyndi Lauper in Hogan's corner. Hogan won by disqualificaton when outside interference from Paul Mr. Wonderful Orndorff and Bob Orton Jr. cost Piper the match. When Cyndi Lauper tried to help, Piper and Orndorff looked to attack her. Mr. T who was also in attendance would hop on the apron to defend Cyndi. This would all lead to the second most important match on this list at the first Wrestlemania. 

The War To Settle The Score event has all the things that people love about wrestling: a hero and a villain, drama, and celebrity involvement. This one match started Hulk Hogan on his path to superstardom which in turn made Vince McMahon and WWE the worldwide leader in sports-entertainment. 

Since the WWE's inception in 1982, there have been many important matches in its history. As a fan of WWE for three decades, this list shows what I think are the top 3 most important matches in WWE history. 

THE PROFESSOR